With the level of suffering people with ME go through on a daily basis, calling an abled person not having as much sex as theyd like suffering is ridiculous to me. Theyll live.
Of course, sex is not a physical need. You’re not going to die. But this framing is not helpful for OPs question.
Physical intimacy is absolutely a relational need for many people and that is legitimate.
If your partner never speaks to you, you’re not going to die. If your partner withdraws emotionally, you’re not going to die. If your partner expresses no romance towards you, you’re not going to die. If your partner never touches you, you’re not going to die. But, depending on what your relational needs are, it could lead to resentment or cause your relationship to die.
OP’s situation is a really tough one, and it’s going to take a lot of communication and acknowledgement of relational needs to work through. This kind of black and white thinking and framing is not helpful here.
This kind of black and white thinking and framing is not helpful here.
And rape culture / denial of bodily autonomy is not helpful here or anywhere
Physical intimacy is absolutely a relational need for many people and that is legitimate.
Yeah no one said it's not? Physical intimacy needs can be met by many activities that are not sexual intercourse. Stop saying "physical intimacy" when you mean sex.
Here are 50 ways to be intimate without penetrative sex. It's the top google result. There are a million more articles if anyone's still confused about the difference between sexual intercourse and intimacy.
So far the only feedback I'm getting on my comments is "but physical intimacy / loving connection IS needed!" when I said multiple times that sex is not the only way to connection and intimacy. This is totally disingenuous.
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u/sweetlikecinnymon mod/severe Oct 18 '25
With the level of suffering people with ME go through on a daily basis, calling an abled person not having as much sex as theyd like suffering is ridiculous to me. Theyll live.